UAE calls for international monitoring of Qatar

Abu Dhabi – Mubasher: The issue with Qatar needs international monitoring, Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, told Reuters in a speech to be delivered on Monday in London.

"We need a regional solution and international monitoring," he told the news agency, but did not give any details about the process or requirements of the proposed monitoring.

On 5 June, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting extremism and terrorism and allying with Iran. Doha has denied these accusations.

Gargash said the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the United States and Qatar on Tuesday on the financing of terrorism was a positive development to find an international solution for the crisis.

Washington and Doha signed the agreement during US secretary of state Rex Tillerson’s visit to Qatar as part of a three-day tour of GCC countries in an attempt to end a month-long rift between the Arab states.

The four Arab states responded that the memorandum failed to diminish their concerns, noting that their sanctions would remain until Doha meets their demands. They further stressed that they would continue to closely monitor Qatar's efforts to fight financing terrorism.

"We need to be certain that Qatar, a state with $300 billion in reserves, is no longer an official or unofficial sponsor of jihadist and terrorist causes," the UAE minister highlighted.

"We do see signs now, however, that our pressure is working," Gargash told Reuters, adding: "We are ready for this process to take a long time."